FOOTREST FOR MOBILE WORKSTATION

Abstract

A mobile workstation comprises a chassis having a pair of legs projecting toward a user position, each of the pair of projecting legs supported on a wheel. A footrest extends between the projecting legs, opposite ends of the footrest being supported, at least in part, by respective top surfaces of the projecting legs. A top surface of the footrest is convex in a first direction extending lengthwise between the opposite end portions of the footrest such that a center portion of the footrest is raised with respect to the opposite end portions. The top surface of the footrest slopes upwardly from the user position. The top surface of the footrest is convex in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The footrest extends over a footbox defined between the front legs in the width direction. The footrest may include a massage mechanism for vibrating the footrest to induce micro movements of a user's foot.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/766,078, filed Mar. 3, 2025, and also incorporates by reference, in their entirety, the contents of U.S. Design Application Nos. Ser. No. 29/991,094 and Ser. No. 29/991,059, filed Feb. 26, 2025.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to footrests or massaging footrests for mobile workstations and, more particularly, to a point-of-care medical cart having a footrest, including a massaging footrest. Although the disclosure will primarily refer to a medical cart in a health-care environment, it should be appreciated that the disclosed footrests may be incorporated into other mobile workstations and that the disclosed footrests and/or mobile workstations may be used in other, non-health care environments.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Medical carts are among the most widespread tools used in the health care industry, and similar mobile workstations are increasingly being used in other environments, such as airports, factories, garages, and offices. These carts are designed for a variety of uses and environments, but some function, e.g., as mobile computing workstations that allow health-care professionals to access, input, and distribute patients' medical information and/or medical treatment. For example, a nurse or other medical practitioner may use a medical cart equipped with a computer and/or diagnostic equipment while making rounds between patients in a hospital or other care facility. The practitioner may use the computer, e.g., to review a patient's medication information, record vital signs and other notes, and order treatment. Medical carts may be equipped with tools for diagnosis and treatment, and lockable drawers to securely store medication to be dispensed to patients. Regardless of the cart's specific purpose, however, the cart must be configured to move quickly but safely through a hospital environment.

Providing a medical cart that can easily move through this environment presents several challenges. For example, modern medical carts often include a computer, display screens, an adjustable keyboard, an independent power system, high-capacity batteries, large height-adjustable work-surfaces, and storage for medication or equipment—with a total weight sometimes exceeding one hundred pounds. Healthcare professionals are often on their feet for most of their work shift and the mass of the cart contributes to their fatigue and may potentially lead to injury.

Although many medical carts are ergonomically designed to lessen fatigue and reduce musculoskeletal disorders associated with their use, e.g., by providing the ability to adjust the height of the display screen, work surface, and/or keyboard so that a user can work in an ergonomic position, additional consideration should be given to reducing user fatigue and increasing comfort.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In the following description, certain aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure will become evident. It should be understood that the disclosure, in its broadest sense, could be practiced without having one or more features of these aspects and embodiments. It should also be understood that these aspects and embodiments are merely exemplary.

Other aspects of the disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of the disclosed embodiments, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a medical cart with a footrest or massaging footrest, according to an exemplary disclosed embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the medical cart of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a footrest or massaging footrest, according to an exemplary disclosed embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a footrest or massaging footrest, according to an exemplary disclosed embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a back view of a massaging footrest, according to an exemplary disclosed embodiment;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the assembly of a footrest or massaging footrest, according to exemplary disclosed embodiments; and

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of a footrest or massaging footrest, according to an exemplary disclosed embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary mobile workstation, in this case a point-of-care medical cart 10, having a footrest 20 according to the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cart 10 may include a console 30 mounted on a height-adjustable column 11. A computing device, such as a laptop computer (not shown), may be secured within console 30, e.g., in a compartment (not shown) below a removable work surface 31. The compartment may include a docking station and/or appropriate cables to couple the computing device to a power source, such as a rechargeable battery (not shown) housed within a base 12 of the cart 10, a mouse and keyboard housed within an extendable keyboard tray 32, and a display screen 13.

In some embodiments, display screen 13 may be mounted above the work surface 31 on a height-adjustable display column 14 that allows a height of the display screen 13 above the work surface 31 to be adjusted. A task light 15 may be mounted to the display column 14 for illuminating the work surface, and/or indicating the status of the cart.

A set of lockable drawers 40 may be mounted to the cart 10 below the console 30, to store equipment and/or medications to be dispensed to patients on rounds.

The console 30 may also include a control interface 50 that allows a user to control, e.g., the height of the height-adjustable columns 11 and 14, and other functions of the cart 10, such as controlling drawer locks and task lighting. As shown in FIG. 1, the control interface 50 may include a touchscreen interface implemented by one or more touchscreens integrated across a front portion of the console 30 programmed to display controls appropriate to the various control functions.

The console 30 may include handles 34 positioned to allow the user to push and steer the cart 10. In some embodiments, handles 34 may be movable between a horizontal position and a vertical position designed to provide leverage when steering the cart around corners, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,550,510, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The base 12 of the cart 10 may house a rechargeable battery and appropriate charging and cooling systems (not shown). The weight of the battery and other components of the base may provide ballast for the console 30, drawers 40, and display screen 13, thus providing stability as the cart is maneuvered.

Base 12 may include a chassis 60 supported on caster wheels 61 that can swivel 360° around a vertical axis, thus allowing movement of the cart 10 in any direction. The chassis may include, for example, a pair of front legs 60f extending toward a user position U at the front of the cart and a pair of rear legs 60r extending toward the rear of the cart, in the direction of forward travel F. As shown in FIG. 1, front legs 60f may be formed by the opposite ends of a U-shaped member enveloping base 12, such that the front legs extend from a relatively narrow inside position to a relatively wide outside position supported by the casters 61f.

Although front and rear legs 60f, 60r are illustrated with elongate shapes, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the shape of the legs is a matter of design choice, and that the relative length and width of the legs may be varied without interfering with the motion of casters 61. Moreover, in some embodiments, the rear legs 60r may be omitted and the wheels mounted directly to corner portions of the chassis 60.

In some embodiments, the cart 10 may be equipped with a steering-assist system (not shown) to help control movement of the cart 10, e.g., by preventing the rear wheels 61r from swiveling toward the inside direction under certain conditions, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,623,886, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, front legs 60f locate front wheels 61f to either side of the user position U, thus providing a foot box fb (highlighted in FIGS. 1 and 2) allowing clearance for the user's feet when standing at the console or pushing the cart in the direction of forward travel F. The footbox fb is defined by the area between front wheels 61f and front legs 60f in the width direction, between a front plane P of console 30 and the front of base 12 in the depth direction, and between the floor and the footrest 20 in the height direction. In exemplary embodiments, the footbox may be between 12-61 inches in width, e.g., 13-14 inches; 6 or more inches in depth, and 8-12 inches in height.

In an exemplary embodiment, footrest 20 is constructed from a high-strength reinforced polymer. For example, the footrest 20 may be formed of injected-molded ABS plastic, forming a contoured top surface 20t and hollow back surface 20b (see FIG. 5) with ribs 21 formed to reinforce and support the top surface 20t of the footrest.

Top surface 20t of footrest 20 may be textured or otherwise provided with a non-slip surface, such as an abrasive or rubberized (e.g., neoprene) non-skid applique 27 (see FIG. 1) bonded to the substrate of footrest 20 using an over-molding injection mold process. Alternatively, applique 27 may be secured to the top surface 20t of the footrest 20, e.g., using an adhesive.

Footrest 20 may be generally H-shaped, with a cross bar 22 extending in the width direction between a pair of end portions 23 extending generally to the front and rear of the cross bar 22. The shape of the footrest may be convex one or both of the width and depth directions, so that a center portion C or center line C′ of the cross bar 22 is raised with respect to the end portions 23. The curve of the raised center portion C may be shaped, e.g., to follow the arch of a typical foot.

The raised center portion C allows users of various heights to stand for long periods with more comfort and to pronate or supinate the toes and ball of the foot, so as to stretch and provide relief to the joints and muscles at the front of the foot. The raised center portion C also provides leverage allowing the user to redirect the path of the cart left or right with the foot, e.g., when reversing the direction of travel from left to right or vice versa.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 6, and 7, the bottom of the footrest 20 may be supported by and generally conform to an upper surface 60u of front legs 60f so as to slope upwardly from the user position U toward the rear of the cart. The upward slope further allows users to stretch the joints and muscles at the front of the foot. The upward slope also provides leverage allowing the user to initiate movement of the cart with the foot, e.g., when reversing the direction of travel from backward to the forward direction.

In exemplary embodiments, the center portion C of the cross bar 22 may be 10-12 inches from the floor and the end portions may have an upward slope of between 25-50°starting from a height of 7-9 inches above the floor on the user side U to a height of 10-12 inches on the opposite side.

With reference to FIG. 6, the back 20b of the footrest 20 may be provided with tabs 24 and/or clips 25 configured to mate with corresponding slots 60s in the upper surface 60u of front legs 60f. In an exemplary embodiment, tabs 24 may be integrally molded at the bottom rear of the end portions 23 of footrest 20 and clips 25 may be installed on the bottom front of the end portions 23. For example, clips 25 may be secured to the front end portion by a screw 25′, as shown in FIG. 7. Alternatively, clips 25 may be provided with a base portion 25b that is securely received in a slot 23s in the end portion 23, as shown in FIG. 8. Clips 25 may have a curved portion 25c providing a deformable spring action of sufficient strength to secure end portion 25e within a corresponding latch portion (not shown) in the slots 60s in front legs 60f, which may be open at the bottom to allow the footrest to be removed without tools by deforming the curved portion 25c to disengage the end portion 25e from the latch. Shoulder portions 20s on the back of the footrest may be shaped to engage inside portions of front legs 60 so as to limit side-to-side movement of the footrest between the front legs.

In some embodiments, footrest 20 may be provided with a massage mechanism 28, such as an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) driver, a linear resonant actuator or percussion motor, a kneading or rotating roller, and/or acoustic wave generator. For example, massage mechanism 28 may be secured to the back of the center bar 22 so as to vibrate at least a portion of the center bar of the footrest 20 to induce micro-movements of the toes, ball, arch, and/or heel of a user's foot. In this case, the tabs 24 and clips 25 described above may be replaced with vibration isolation mounts 29, such as neoprene mounts (see FIG. 5), so as to reduce or prevent noise due to the vibration of the mechanism 28 or footrest 20.

The vibration pattern and intensity of the massage mechanism 28 may be controlled, e.g., by appropriate controls displayed on control interface 50. Alternatively or additionally, base 12 or footrest 20 may be provided with a pressure switch or kick-switch (not shown) allowing massage mechanism 28 to be turned on or off using the user's foot. For example, one or more of isolation mounts 29 may be equipped with a pressure switch allowing the motor to be turned on when sufficient pressure is applied and turned off when the pressure is removed. Alternatively or additionally, the massage mechanism may be turned off after a period of time specified by the user via control interface 50.

Because numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the present disclosure to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A mobile workstation comprising:

a chassis, the chassis comprising a pair of legs projecting toward a user position, each of the pair of projecting legs supported on a wheel; and

a footrest extending between the projecting legs, opposite ends of the footrest being supported, at least in part, by respective top surfaces of the projecting legs.

2. The mobile workstation of claim 1, wherein a top surface of the footrest is convex in a first direction extending lengthwise between the opposite end portions of the footrest such that a center portion of the footrest is raised with respect to the opposite end portions.

3. The mobile workstation of claim 2, wherein the top surface of the footrest slopes upwardly from the user position.

4. The mobile workstation of claim 2, wherein the top surface of the footrest is convex in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

5. The mobile workstation of claim 1, wherein the footrest extends over a footbox defined between the front legs in the width direction.

6. The mobile workstation of claim 1, wherein the footrest is generally H-shaped.

7. A mobile workstation comprising:

a chassis supported on wheels;

a footrest supported on the chassis; and

a massage mechanism for vibrating the footrest to induce micro movements of a user's foot.

8. The mobile workstation of claim 7, wherein the chassis comprises a pair of projecting legs, each of the pair of projecting legs supported on one or more of the wheels; and

the footrest extends between the projecting legs, opposite ends of the footrest being supported, at least in part, by respective top surfaces of the projecting legs.

9. The mobile workstation of claim 7, wherein a top surface of the footrest is convex in a first direction extending lengthwise between the opposite end portions of the footrest such that a center portion of the footrest is raised with respect to the opposite end portions.

10. The mobile workstation of claim 9, wherein the top surface of the footrest slopes upwardly from the user position.

11. The mobile workstation of claim 9, wherein the top surface of the footrest is convex in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

12. The mobile workstation of claim 7, wherein the footrest extends over a footbox defined between the front legs in the width direction.

13. The mobile workstation of claim 7, wherein the footrest is generally H-shaped.

14. The mobile workstation of claim 7, wherein the footrest is supported by vibration isolation mounts.

15. The mobile workstation of claim 7, wherein the massage mechanism is actuated by a pressure switch such that the massage mechanism is turned on when sufficient pressure is applied to the footrest and turned off when the pressure is removed.